New koala fossil discovery changes what we thought about Australia’s most beloved animal

NewsScienceNew koala fossil discovery changes what we thought about Australia’s most beloved animalScientists revisited several caves to uncover the mystery of the fossils’ originsKenny Travouillon The Conversation, Helen Ryan, Kailah Thorn & Natalie WarburtonWednesday 06 May 2026 08:40 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2971252","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/koala-bear-fossil-western-australia-b2971252.html","title":"New fossil discovery changes what we thought about koalas’ origins"}}CloseMale Koala emits 'bellowing' sound as mating callSign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in healthGet our free Health Check emailGet our free Health Check emailEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_Health_Newsletter","regTitle":"Health Check","subscriptionGroup":"health","subscriptionGroupId":"a476a40b-80d6-475e-83ee-36e2c8c6dcb9","type":"health","pathPrefix":["/news/health","/news/science"],"associatedAuthors":["Rebecca Thomas"],"title":"Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health","mobileTitle":"Get our free Health Check email","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/healthCheck1_1.png","description":"Behind the headline review on the week in health","label":"I would like to receive morning headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts by email","newsletterKey":"receiveIndyHealthNews","regSourceSection":"Science","regSourceMethod":"NSCs"},"isClimate":false}In 2024, the Western Australian Museum received a donation. It was...